Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 6 December 2007
20 Deputy Olivia Mitchell asked the Minister for Transport if he is aware of any plans by Aer Lingus to either dispose of or lease Heathrow slots to US airlines, or alternatively, if the airline has itself plans to open a base in a US city to capitalise on its Heathrow slots under Open Skies; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25642/07]
Amharc ar fhreagraI understand that one slot pair at London Heathrow is currently being leased by Aer Lingus to the US carrier Continental Airlines for a three-year period. Decisions relating to the lease of slots and to setting up new bases outside of Ireland are commercial decisions for the board of Aer Lingus and its management team and I am not aware of their plans in that regard.
However, the situation is quite different regarding the disposal of slots at London Heathrow. At the time of the IPO last year arrangements were put in place to safeguard against the disposal of Heathrow slots by the airline. These arrangements are built into the Company's Memorandum and Articles of Association. The effect of these arrangements, at present, is to provide for the possibility that any disposal of Heathrow slots can be prevented by 30.4% of the votes cast at an Extraordinary General Meeting. 25.4% of the shares in the Company are held by the Minister for Finance on behalf of the State.
